CHANGES IN FOOTBALL RULES

P. D. Haughton '99 will represent the University at the meeting of the football rules committee which will be held at the Hotel Astor, New York City, today and tomorrow. Many coaches and captains object to the present rules on the ground that they make scoring too difficult and give too great an advantage to the team which is on the defensive. To remedy this condition the following changes have been suggested: To increase the number of downs by one or decrease the distance to be gained in three downs from 10 to 7 yards; to lessen the advantages of a touchback to the defending side; to remove the 20-yard restriction on the forward pass, allowing the passer to throw the ball any distance. Other suggestions to be taken up by the committee are to make possible the identity of players on the field by having numbers sewed on the backs of their sweaters, and to rule against counting a ball which bounds between the goal posts as a goal.

Coach A. A. Stagg of the University of Chicago will take a stand against any radical changes in the rules. On account of ill-health it is doubtful if Coach Stagg can be at the meetings; but if he is not his views will be presented by someone else. With Walter Camp of Yale and Coach Williams of Minnesota favoring some of the changes which have been outlined above, it is extremely probable that Coach Stagg will find himself in the minority.